Will the Red Sox find a way to bring the All-Star back to town in 2025?
Jul 7, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, United States; A general view of empty seats at Fenway Park during the Boston Red Sox Summer Camp. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Boston Red Sox's bullpen is expected to take a hit this winter.
Boston's bullpen mightily struggled in the second half of the season and overall was one of the worst in baseball this season. Despite this, there were some bright spots. Star closer Kenley Jansen unsurprisingly shined once again in his second season in Boston, but it could be his last.
Jansen signed a two-year deal with Boston ahead of the 2023 season and has been everything the team could hope for. But he will be a free agent at the end of the season, and FanSided's Zach Pressnell predicted that he will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"At the end of the day, with Jansen set to enter unrestricted free agency, he will probably get a contract bigger than what Boston is willing to offer him," Pressnell said. Jansen has also mentioned in the past that he would like to play in Dodger Blue again before his career is over. I'd expect him to sign a one- or two-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason, leaving the Red Sox to find a new closer in the coming months.
"Boston is going to be aggressive this offseason either way. Missing out on Jansen wouldn't be the end of the world for them. They simply just have bigger holes to fill this offseason than worrying too much about getting an aging closer signed back to their team. Jansen will walk in free agency and Boston will replace him with somebody of his caliber or better."
This isn't the first time it has been mentioned that Jansen could return to Los Angeles and it certainly makes sense at this point.
